Church of England? And if it can, what right has any man to break an ancient and fufficient establishment, and introduce con fufion and perpetual distraction?

I

TAX UPON INCOME.

CLERICUS.

To the Editor of the Anti- Jacobin Review and Magazine.

SIR,

Cannot but confider the adoption of fo manly a fyftem of Finance, as the Tax upon Income, as forming a diftinguished and glorious æra in the history of this kingdom. The benefits which this meafure is calculated to produce are great beyond defcription; but nothing feems fo much to endear it to the public, as the certainty it promifes to every individual, that while he contributes, in a fair proportion, to the exigencies (I might say the fal vation) of the state, other proprietors will be obliged to do the fame; and that neither difaffection nor avarice will be able to evade the operation of this wife and falutary law.

I am perfuaded that the Commiffioners, to whom the execution of this act will be committed, will be fully difpofed to do their duty to their country. But for that purpose it will be neceffary for them to bear in mind, that, without pursuing a vexatious line of conduct, (of which there is no danger,) it behoves them to be particularly on their guard with respect to those persons who have already evinced a difpofition to evade their proportion of the public burthens. Both the voluntary contributions, and the affeffed taxes, have afforded a good criterion whereby to judge of the persons who are, in the above refpect, juft objects of fufpicion, and who, therefore, deserve a clofer inveftigation, than may, in general, be neceffary. The public will lofe their confidence in this great meafure of finance unless they are convinced, by the manner in which they fee it executed, that it is really, in its operation, as well as in its principle, fair and impartial; and that it is capable of reaching those who have hitherto been deaf to the calls both of patriotism and of justice.

"It would, I think, have been much more perfect if it had been required that the first original ftatement, by which a person declares the amount of his propofed contribution, had been upon oath that fuch contribution is not less than a tenth part of his income. The omiffion of this form impofes an additional duty upon commissioners to be strict in their investigation.*"

I am, &c.

IMPARTIAL.

It would not be amifs for the Commiffioners, particularly in London, to provide themfelves, if poffible, with a lift of the members of the Correfponding Society. All thofe members may not be fo poor as Mr. Horne Tooke, whofe eir cumftances, it is faid, do not allow him the gratification of contributing any part of his income to the exigency of the state.

Το

IN

To the Editor of the Anti-Jacobin Review and Magazine.

N the" Defence of the Quakers" publifhed in your Magazine for January laft, the writer feems to plume himself on the following remark:

your

il

"I incline to add one short remark more, in faying that luftrating correfpondent has unwittingly written a panegyric on the Quakers of modern times, feeing, be bad occafion to go back one hundred and thirty-eight years, for a pretence to prove them difaffected." Now, Sir, whatever occafion your illuftrating correfpondent might have had to go backwards, is not my business to enquire.-I only beg leave to fubmit to your confideration, how far the Quakers of modern times are deferving of panegyric, from the following fact: See Report from the Committee of Secrecy of the Houfe of Commons, of Ireland, Aug. 21ft, 1798.-Appendix, No. 14, p. 124.Provincial Committee, 25th, March, Moy-Eight perfons prefent, (their names) a Quaker, once a prisoner in Charlemont, introduced à delegate from the Leinster Executive, who paffed under a feigned name. From fome alarm, the meeting adjourned to Blackwatertown, there they were difturbed by the appearance of a party of light-horfe, and adjourned to M'Call's in Armagh, where they did the business of the day. Some matters concerning the lottery were difpofed of, and it was faid that the drawing would take place the firft week in April. It was then referred to the Leinfter delegate to give the Reports, he accordingly faid, he was happy to tell them the Leinster Provincial Committee was perfectly recovered from the fhock they were only four days, from the time they were taken, till they had the whole province in a complete state of organization; the government had alfo taken three of the Executive, but there were three appointed in their places, that very evening after they were taken. He faid the Leinfter Executive had delegated him to wait on us to anfwer fome questions, which he read from a paper; they were to the following effect: the number of United Irishmen who would act if called upon: the number of arms; the number of military and militia, and how many good and bad; with a recommendation for the people to put themselves immediately into as good a state of organization as poffible, for that they had a delegate arrived with pofitive affurance that the French would commence embarkation on the 1ft April; and that they would be all on board, and ready to fail, by the middle of the month, or the first opportunity after. The paper alfo contained the ftrength of United Irishmen, in Leinster, both civil and military; it feemed to be exaggerated, but as it was not allowed to take a copy, it cannot be accurately fet forth; every regiment of military and militia was numbered, how many good and how many bad; the grofs number in Dublin amounted to about eight thousand, three thousand eight hundred of which, it was ftated, would act against government; fome return was made of the number fuppofed to be difaffected, in fome of the regiments of militia. The anfwers to their questions were but weakly anfwered; he faid that the national committee was to be held in Dublin, on Tuesday, and it was the inten

NO. X. VOL, II,

Y y

tion

tion of the Executive, that it should be compofed of one man from each Executive, and one man from each province; their Executive was to meet the fame evening, and he propofed to introduce whoever went from hence to them. The meeting then proceeded to elect a delegate; the first chofen was a Colonel, but he excused himself, on account of his other duties; the perfon appointed set out that night, or the next morning for Dublin, along with the Leinfter delegate, and was told who the delegate was, that should meet him in Dublin, from the Ulfter Executive."

From thefe proceedings, it appears that the Quaker was in the confidence of the Leinfter Executive, at least, to have been appointed uber of their delegate on this important miffion. I am not fufficiently acquainted with the extent of the fociety of Friends, in Ireland, to judge how far the conduct of one friend can implicate the whole; but I cannot help obferving, that his conduct feerns to have been fufficiently active to have drawn the attention of government on a former occafion-quben be was imprifoned in Charlemont. -And as the fociety of friends found their actions on certain religious and political data, it is not an unfair inference that this man acted upon those data, and juftified himself to his own confcience upon thofe principles generally admitted by the fociety. Nor is it an unfair inference, that the friends in Great Britain would act upon the fame data, and the fame principles, under the fame circumftances.

A

THE GHOST OF LESLIE.

To the Editor of the Anti-Jacobin Review and Magazine.

MONG the various modes of diffeminating Jacobinism, or, what directly leads to it, the principles of liberty and equality, there is one which, though in appearance may be lefs formidable, is no lefs pernicious in its tendency, and which has hitherto escaped your notice. It is well known what pains all writers of that stamp have taken to imprefs upon the minds of the young and unwary the leading doctrines of their fchool, and under what artful difguifes and specious pretexts they have endeavoured to infinuate their poifon into all ranks and degrees of men. Even the nursery is not exempt from the unremitting efforts of thefe difturbers of the human race. And the fact, which I thall now ftate, will thew the neceffity of every parent's examining, with care, every little penny book which may fall into the hands of their children, even of the moft tender age.

A relation, the other day, fent one of my children, who is about four years of age, a fixpenny book, entitled "Prince Abdal and the Princefs Selima, or Virtue Rewarded; an authentic Hiftory." Having frequently been amufed with little childifh hiftories, I took this over my tea to país half an hour innocently, as I thought, at least. But gue's my furprize, when, upon opening the book, I caft my eyes on the following fentence: "This action put an end to a war proceeding from ambition and a combination of Princes, for the purpote of deftroying liberty." This being the cant of the day induced me to look farther into it. When moft of the names appeared to be the titles, or names, of fome of the principal perfonages in this

and foreign kingdoms. In defcribing the Emperor's three fons, Prince Selah, Prince Koroy, and Prince Ecneralc, I was ftruck with feveral particulars in their characters, and foon found that Selah was Wales reverfed, with the alteration of one letter, Koroy is York with the infertion only of an e, and Ecneralc reverfed is Clarence. After this I need not say that their characters were traduced in a manner too fhameful to repeat. Thus King Cirederf is Frederic. And other names are reverfed, or tranfpofed, in a fimilar manner. An affembly, confifting of upwards of five bundred men, is held up to ridicule and contempt; and, among other reforms, it is recommended to reduce the power and wealth of the Clergy, and, as far as poffible, to equalize their falaries. The whole fyftem too of jurifprudence, and the corps of lawyers and attornies, are fubjected to the fame kind of fanciful and theoretical reform. And all this, with a great deal more of the fame fort, bound in gilt paper, with a frontifpiece to catch the eyes of children, are fold for the fmall price of fixpence. After this it may be right to fay, that, in the title page, the book is faid to be printed and fold by R. Baffam, No. 53, St. John Street, Weft Smithfield; and, upon one of the covers, is pasted a kind of advertisement that a great variety of children's books, from one penny to one thilling, are printed and fold by J. Luffman, No. 5, Windmill Street, Finsbury Square.

If you think this worthy of infertion, and thereby this kind of poifon fhall, in any inftance, be prevented from making its way to thofe young and tender objects, for whom it was intended, I fhall not think my time mis-fpent or misapplied.

F.

To the Editor of the Anti-Jacobin Review and Magazine. MANY years are elapfed fince the diffentions between Pallifer

and Keppel have been configned to oblivion. The parties fleep in the grave, "their little paffions o'er," and their military or political characters unheeded in the attention which exifting wars and exifting politics have imperiously demanded of mankind. The laugh is fcarcely remembered which fhook the roof of St. Stephen's Chapel, when the gallant Admiral, by an unfortunate miftake in reading the fpeech he never wrote, roundly afferted, that the honour of the British flag had not been VARNISHED by him. But to the frequenters of fuch literature as the ftalls in Middle Row kindly offer to minor ftudents, it ftill affords fome degree of curiofity to fee, by turning to the periodical publications of the times, how they " ftrutted and fretted their hour."

I was led to thefe obfervations, Mr. Editor, by recently perufing an old volume of Gentleman's Magazines which lay on my uncle's table in the country, when I paid him a vifit the other morning. The book opened at the defence of Admiral Keppel. As I read it I was firft ftruck with the language, as too high wrought, and by no means characteristic of the manners, edu cation, and erudition of the fpeaker. But other confiderations foon vanifhed, eclipfed by the infufferable egotifm, vanity, and felf-futficiency of the speaker-Good heavens, exclaimed I, here's

Y y 2

a fellow

a fellow that out-Erskine's Erikine! My uncle, who heard the apof trophe, foon gave me what the French call le mot de l'enigme. He told me, (what I was too young at the time to have heeded,) "that the notorious Barrifter himself was the mechanist of Admiral Keppel's defence."-"I will take your word, my dear Sir, for a thousand pounds." Indeed,

"None but himself can be his parallel."

"Read the exordium," said my kinfman, "and count how often the first perfon is introduced, in its various forms and inflections.” --I obeyed, and in lefs than two pages and a half, found I, I, I, I, me, me, me, me, my, my, my, my, repeated more than Two HUNDRED times! I fend you, Sir, an extract, taken at random, from this curious performance, ftudded with the little pronoun as a frofty fky is ftudded with ftars--exhibiting a via lacca, a galaxy of I's.-I am, Sir, a stranger to Mr. Erikine; as great a firanger as

A. E. O. U.

"Never did experience fo deep a melancholy as when I found my felf forced to turn my back upon France! I quitted mm ftation, and courage was never put to jo fevere a trial.- was permitted to fail a fecond time, without receiving official praife or blame for the part I had acted. Thefe were difcouraging circumftances-But they did not diflurb my temper ! my principal object was to get ready for fea with all poffible hafte. was furprized, on my return, to be threatened with the fate of Admiral Byng and was ftill more furprized to be charged with cowardice. Whether have conceived objects in exact correfpondence with the truthwhether have viewed them unfkilfully, (or, as my accuter has been pleafed to term it, un-officer-like,) thefe are matters which remain to be determined. I can only fay, that what Sir Hugh Pallifer has imputed to me as negligence, was the effect of deliberation and choice: will add, that was not confined in my powers when failed. had ample difcretion to act as thought proper, for the defence of the kingdom. A manœuvred, fought, returned, [O moft lame and impotent conclufion!] I did my best. If my abilities were not equal to the talk, have the confolation to think that I did not folicit, nor did I bargain for the command. More than two years ago, in the month of November, 1776, I received a letter from the firft Lord of the Marine department, wherein he ob ́erved, that owing to motions of foreign courts, it might be neceffary to prepare a fleet of obfervation my reply to this letter was, that was ready to receive any command from his Majefty, and I begged to have the honour of an audience. This requeft was complied with. I was clofeted; and told the King that was willing to ferve him as long as my health would permit. heard no more until the month of March, 1778, at which time I had two or three audiences; and

:

told his Majefty, that I had no acquaintance with his Minifters, but I trufted to his protection, and zeal for the public good. Here were no finifter views, no paltry gratifications- bad nothing I felt nothing, but an carneft defire to ferve my country, even accepted

the